1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a higher secondary alcohol alkoxylate compound composition, a method for the production thereof, and a detergent and an emulsifier using the composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
The nonionic surfactants include alkyl phenol ethoxylates, higher primary alcohol ethoxylates, fatty acid ethoxylates, and etc.
Among these nonionic surfactants, the alkyl phenol ethoxylates, particularly nonyl phenol ethoxylates, are fated to incur growing restrictions because they are deficient in biodegradability and consequently are apt to exert adverse effects on the environment.
The higher primary alcohol ethoxylates are at a disadvantage not only in solidifying at room temperature on account of high pour points but also in exhibiting a deterging power and an emulsifying power hardly deserving to be called satisfactory on account of deficiency in surface active properties such as the permeating power.
Some of the other nonionic surfactants such as, for example, fatty acid ethoxylates, incur restrictions of use such as the inability to be effectively used in an alkaline state because they succumb to hydrolysis and none of them are fully satisfactory in quality.
The higher secondary alcohol ethoxylates as the nonionic surfactant are at an advantage in manifesting low pour points, permitting easy handling, exhibiting a highly satisfactory permeating power, inducing perfect extinction of foam, excelling in deterging power and emulsifying power, and proving to be useful.
For the conventional method, however, they are produced by the steps of subjecting a straight chain paraffin formed of one member or a mixture of two or more members selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons of 8 to 20 carbon atoms to liquid phase oxidation thereby forming a random secondary alcohol, adding ethylene oxide to the random secondary alcohol by the use of a Lewis acid catalyst thereby obtaining a low ethylene oxide adduct, recovering the unaltered alcohol from the resultant reaction mixture, and further adding ethylene oxide to the low ethylene oxide adduct by the use of a basic catalyst.
Thus, the production of the ethoxylate requires not only just one round of addition of ethylene oxide but also other steps such as removal of catalyst, distillation, and further addition of ethylene oxide.
This process, therefore, is highly complicated so long as this method of production is concerned.
The anionic surfactants include alkyl aryl sulfonates, higher primary alcohol sulfuric esters, higher primary alkyl ether sulfuric esters, etc.
In these anionic surfactants, the alkyl aryl sulfonates, particularly straight chain alkyl benzene sulfonates, are fated to incur growing restrictions because they are deficient in biodegradability and consequently exert adverse effects on the environment.
The alkyl aryl sulfonates, the higher primary alcohol sulfuric esters, etc. are easily affected by the hardness of water and deficient in water-solubility.
The higher primary alkyl ether sulfuric esters are at a disadvantage not only in manifesting high viscosity and easily subjected to gelation but also in being deficient in such surface active properties as surface tension and permeating power and exhibiting a deterging power and an emulsifying power hardly deserving to be called satisfactory.
None of the other anionic surfactants is fully satisfactory in terms of quality.
The higher secondary alkyl ether sulfuric esters as the anionic surfactants do not easily succumb to gelation owing to low viscosity and, therefore, permit easy handling, exhibit highly satisfactory surface tension and permeating power, induce perfect extinction of foam, excel in deterging power and emulsifying power, and prove to be useful.
By the conventional method, however, they are produced by the steps of subjecting a straight chain paraffin formed of one member or a mixture of two or more members selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons of 8 to 20 carbon atoms to liquid phase oxidation thereby forming a random secondary alcohol, adding ethylene oxide to the random secondary alcohol by the use of a Lewis acid catalyst thereby obtaining a low ethylene oxide adduct, recovering the unaltered alcohol from the resultant reaction mixture, further adding ethylene oxide to the low ethylene oxide adduct by the use of a basic catalyst, and subsequently sulfating the resultant adduct by the use of chlorosulfonic acid and sulfuric anhydride.
Thus, the production of the higher secondary alkyl ether sulfuric ester requires not only just one round of addition of ethylene oxide but also other steps such as removal of catalyst, distillation, further addition of ethylene oxide, and sulfation.
This process, therefore, is highly complicated so long as this method of production is concerned.
An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a novel higher secondary alcohol alkoxylate compound composition, a method for the production thereof, and a deterging agent and an emulsifying agent using the composition.
Another object of this invention is to provide a higher secondary alcohol alkoxylate compound composition having a low pour point, permitting easy handling, exhibiting a satisfactory permeating power, inducing perfect extinction of foam, and excelling in deterging power and emulsifying power, a method for the production thereof, and a detergent and an emulsifier using the composition.